Where are the Wizards? - An Analysis of the Absence of Magic
by MizukiYumeko
Summary: With modern technology, satellite imagery, phones and cameras that can upload video to the Internet instantly from nearly any location, and a globally-connected network, why haven't we found the magical world yet? Where are they now? A nonfictional, journal-like look at magic in today's society. Oneshot.


Where are the Wizards?

An analysis by MizukiYumeko

The wizarding population once stretched across the globe, sequestered in heavily warded hideaways and concealed passages all around the world. Witches and wizards went about their daily business, buying potions and ingredients from the apothecaries, marveling at the latest racing broom models, withdrawing funds at creature- and wizard-run banks, attending Quidditch and Quodpot matches, and working at numerous positions in ministries, businesses, curse-breaking, spell-crafting, teaching, wand-making, and more.

With modern technology, satellite imagery, phones and cameras that can upload video to the Internet instantly from nearly any location, and a globally-connected network, we should, hypothetically, be able to capture these people, magical creatures, and spells on film. Yet nothing of the sort has ever been taped or witnessed, at least not with scientists on hand to verify its authenticity – leading the majority of the world to believe that none of this, and indeed, that magic itself does not and has never existed.

But if witches and wizards do exist, where are they now? Are they simply better at hiding than we give them credit for?

It is a commonly-held theory among those of us belonging to the Harry Potter fan base that Muggleborns were descended from Squibs, more specifically, Squibs that had been cast out of Pureblood relations decades before for their lack of magic and forced to integrate into the Muggle world. These abandoned Squibs then intermarried with Muggles and, generations later, the magic resurfaced in what had at first glance appeared to be an average Muggle household.

Of course, Squibs were not the only kind of magic users to marry Muggles. Many Pureblood families that were staunch supporters of Muggle and Muggleborn rights had no qualms about marrying Muggles, and neither did Half-Bloods and Muggleborns themselves. However, this led to a problem. Since the Muggles had no magic of their own, the magical parent had to be the one to pass down the genes – and not all of them did. As the once great stockpile of magic spread throughout millions of descendants, the amount of magic born in individuals decreased year after year, as did the number of Muggleborns. Eventually, after a long time, magic levels became so low, even if the ability to use magic had actually resurfaced, the amount of magic available to the average person wouldn't even be enough to use a _Lumos_.

"What about the other Purebloods?" one might ask. "They would never interbreed with Muggles, and as such, their lines would never die out, right?" It is true that the most devout followers of the Pureblood regime were very strict about continuing the purity of the line, and would definitely never have let their sons and daughters mingle with Muggles, or even Muggleborns. In fact, the Blacks, one of the generally dark-aligned pureblood families, were so strict about preserving the blood status that they often were arranged to marry others within the family tree – Sirius and Regulus Black's parents were actually second cousins.

However, the inbreeding and near-religious devotion to blood purity ultimately led to their decline and eventual downfall. The prime example of the sad conclusion to this saga lies with the Gaunt family. They were once a great wizarding line – their genealogical roots traced all the way back to the both the Peverells of Hallows fame as well as to the renowned Salazar Slytherin himself, as once pointed out by a rather irate Marvolo Gaunt. The last two members of the Gaunts were Morfin Gaunt, a man clearly on the verge of losing his sanity, and Merope Gaunt, a near-Squib who was bullied and terrorized to the point of exhaustion by her own household, and eventually died from grief and heartbreak after giving birth to Tom Marvolo Riddle. While it is obvious that Merope had a less than happy upbringing, it is also very likely that either mental instability or lack of magical ability played a role in her actions, again as a result of years of inbreeding and unwillingness to allow outside members to taint the bloodline.

The Gaunts were not the only ones to fall prey to this phenomenon, however. For the Black family, one of the most obviously mad was Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black), who murdered her own cousin and was a terror to nearly everyone that knew her. Crouch's only son was certifiably insane even before his brief stay in Azkaban. Even the Weasleys and Dumbledores, supposedly light-aligned pureblood families, had members born as Squibs, and the late Ariana Dumbledore actually had the misfortune of a similar state of mind as Ariana Gaunt – both were magically near-squibs and both were witness to traumatic events that eventually caused them to be mentally unstable.

The Rosiers, Burkes, Flints, Malfoys, and many other families that were devoutly pureblood were certainly not immune to the effects of generations of inbreeding, but another problem also plagued the society – a lack of available heirs and heiresses to continue the lines. Take, for example, the Malfoys, Crabbes, and Goyles. All three families, as of the first Potter book, had exactly one school-age heir – and all were male. By the end of the series, the Crabbes were dead, the Goyles presumably imprisoned, and the Malfoys had, again, one son. The Blacks had two sons, both of which died as a result of the wars. Both sides of the war suffered hundreds of casualties, and the lineages that did not die out because of the wizarding wars certainly suffered from it. In the end, even the most pure of Pureblood lineages died out as a result of failing bloodlines, infertility, and inbreeding problems that caused mental instability and/or a lack of magic.

So, where are witches and wizards today? The answer is simple, if a bit melancholy – They are gone. The last traditional magic users to walk this planet died out long ago, and all that remains of them are tales of fantastical creatures and heroes, and a select group of believers among us that feel not completely silly, but rather a faint echo of a call within themselves when they utter once-meaningful phrases in Latin. So, there is still a little magic left...magic left on the page and for those who write it. Whether you believe it or not is a choice you make for yourself.


End file.
